With the economy still recuperating and with oil prices high the airline industry has been hit hard. This has been the case since 2008 and with the huge snowstorms that blanketed the country this past winter—canceling a ton of flights—many airlines will continue to suffer losses in 2011.
Enter social media. If anything can help a brand rebuild itself, it’s the web and the power of social networks. Many airlines are pulling out all the stops and engaging with their fans more than ever in hopes to build a lasting relationship with their audience.
Virgin America is looking to achieve this by engaging with fans on multiple platforms. They provide funny and entertaining video content on their YouTube channel and offer their fans a chance to win free flights by engaging with their Facebook page. Virgin is also jumping on the location-based bandwagon, encouraging passengers to check in at their newest terminal. They also use their Twitter account to engage with their followers—directly addressing issues and comments. They have a great balance of quantity and quality when it comes to their content and they do an awesome job of interacting with their fans.
JetBlue is another airline doing a great job of utilizing social media. Their Facebook page alone is filled with videos (which are also featured on their beautifully branded YouTube channel) and special offers for fans. TrueBlue members can make their way to the ‘Go Places’ tab and register themselves to earn some of these special offers as well as TrueBlue points and badges just by checking in using Facebook Places. Like many companies, they use Twitter to more directly engage with followers and follow up on any issues they may have.
There is also one airline with a small following that is shaking up the social media game with some attention grabbing tactics: Air New Zealand. Their YouTube channel is filled with all of their hysterical video campaigns, promoting the airline through creative content and even enlisting big name celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Richard Simmons to get the word out. Their most notable campaign includes a series of videos featuring Air New Zealand’s flight crew donning nothing but body paint (check it out, you know you want to). They also have a ton of cool content on their Facebook page as well as host a slew of giveaways on Twitter. A few years ago not many people even heard of Air New Zealand but because of their creative use of social media they are gaining a lot of ground.
If airlines are going to bounce back something must be done and what better way to connect with your audience than with social media? It’s the perfect solution. It’s cheap and can be extremely effective when it comes to interacting with your fans, gaining their loyalty and converting them to buyers. If you don’t believe us just ask the airline companies.
